Here’s a great dessert recipe where wine’s depth and decadence really shine. The secret to these brownies is to not overbake them. When you test them with a knife in the center, you want some chunks of brownie to come out- a clean knife means it’s overdone- it won’t be bad, but the edges may be pretty hard.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried cranberries
- 2 cups Zinfandel wine
- 3 ¾ cups sugar
- 2 ½ cups AP flour
- 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 ¼ cups cocoa powder (dark/black cocoa is especially nice!)
- 1Tbsp + 1 tsp kosher salt (use a bit less if using fine or sea salt)
- 2 sticks and 5 Tbsp (21 Tbsp) unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 8 eggs
- 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups chopped almonds
Directions
- In a bowl, soak cranberries in wine for at least three hours, until plump. Strain and reserve 1/3 cup of remaining wine.
- Preheat oven to 325°. Butter rimmed sheet pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
- Melt the butter and 1 ½ cups chocolate chips in a bowl until very warm. Whisk together, then whisk in eggs. Fold into dry ingredients just a few turns, then pour in reserved wine and continue folding until all is just combined.
- Spread onto prepared pan. Bake about 45-55 min…keep checking every 5 or so at 45 with a knife in the center.
- Let cool. Run knife along sides. It’s easiest to flip this out by laying another sheet pan on the top of the brownies and then flipping it, taking the parchment off, putting a cutting board on the bottom (which is facing you) then flipping back over again. With the long ends toward you, make five even cuts – six columns. Turn the brownie vertically, then cut three even cuts, making 24 squares.